


For Now

by The_Great_Pumpkin



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Cuddling & Snuggling, Flirting, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Power Dynamics, Sharing a Bed, also dirk's anime fanboy side makes a subtle appearance because it was inevitable, but only light/implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:15:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24234892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Great_Pumpkin/pseuds/The_Great_Pumpkin
Summary: Caliborn wants to share Dirk's bed. Dirk agrees. Shenanigans ensue, including some bickering, some flirting, and some impromptu cuddling.
Relationships: Caliborn/Dirk Strider
Comments: 4
Kudos: 56





	For Now

**Author's Note:**

> Dirkuu as a dynamic is very fascinating, so of course I had to write something for them. I hope you enjoy!

You are well aware of your combined restlessness, yours a quiet anxiety that constantly ripples the waters of your mind, and his a not so poetic sounding tumultuous tsunami. And of course you know what exactly that means for you (and for Caliborn, of course, but you are acutely aware of all your jagged pieces, all your edges, which you cannot say about other people). Meanwhile, Caliborn is acutely _un_ aware of his flaws, or at least as it appears to you. You find it mildly difficult at times to tell whether he's being serious or simply pulling your leg.

The point is, you are sharing a bed,

And it is very much just as awkward as you would have imagined sharing a bed with Caliborn would be like.

You're not actually sure why you asked him to keep you company; it could have been the lack of sleep, the need for comfort, the distance between the two of you that was so palpable, that needed to be minimized. Or just all of the above.

Caliborn snatches your shades from your face. You realize that he'd been grumbling at you previously, and you'd been staring off into space. Probably at his face.

"Stop. Ignoring me," and he punctuates it with a kick in the knee. Thankfully, it's his non-robotic leg. As you look up at him, you realize he's almost pouting, except that his teeth (one original and the other gold -- you're sure there's a metaphor there about duality, but you let it rest for now) are poking out too much for him to really be successful. Nevertheless, it's quite cute.

Oops, you're drifting again. You'd like to say that Caliborn does not look any more pissed than the last time you properly took him in, but his frown is twisted in just the right way that it sends your anime connoisseur ass into overdrive as you realize this is exactly the point in a romantic comedy where the guy comforts the girl because she feels like she's being ignored.

"How can you insinuate such a thing when you know that your presence in this bed makes my fragile little heart go doki doki," you try to play it off smoothly. Except Caliborn does not think it's very smooth at all. He squints at you and snarls.

"Why are you lying. To me." This time he doesn't grace your knee with the presence of his foot, but his face scrunches up even more severely. If he had eyebrows, they'd be bunched together like coiled snakes. Wow, you are really not on top of your game today. Caliborn was right to kick you.

"I wouldn't consider it lying if it's, for the most part, true."

Alright, so maybe that was not the right thing to say. Caliborn snaps, something exploding from the back of his throat, and all but pounces on you. He holds you down, pressing on your biceps. You let him. So much for the tsunami metaphor.

"Shut up," he says, but he sounds a bit whiny. "You. Are just making it worse. For yourself."

"My apologies," you say, to test out the waters. When Caliborn doesn't immediately shut you up, you continue. "If you'd just let me go, we'd be able to tenderly hold each other, gazing into each others' eyes." On second thought, maybe that was passing it off too smoothly for what the situation requires. You clear your throat as if to dispel your statement. "If you want." Something in Caliborn's face changes -- it's the candy-colored spot on each of his cheeks, oh god is he _blushing_? cherubs don't blush outside of Christian church paintings, do they? you'll have to ask Roxy about that -- and he falls on you.

"Hghh," you eloquently verbalize as he plops down on your chest. His arms are squirming all over the place, trying to find somewhere to place themselves, and you end up having to move them around your neck. He squeezes a bit too tightly, but at least he's not strangling you.

"You're not going. To look away. This time."

Of course not, you want to say, but that would be coming on too strongly at this point, so what you say instead is, "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Good." He tries to sit up to look you in the face, and seems to think better of it, because he plops down again. "You will make it up to me." He pauses, dramatically. "We will do. Unspeakable things. Together. As a punishment for you."

"Okay, sure. I can take that." You shift your head so your nose almost brushes Caliborn's head, and lower your voice to what you would like to believe is a sultry tone.

"Punish me, Caliborn-sama."

Caliborn nods next to your head, and you don't need to see him to know that he's smirking. "Yes, you are already getting used to it. But you are not ready yet. Because your human brain cannot understand. The significance. Of what I am about to do to you." He unwinds his arms from around your neck, leans back, and this time doesn't look you in the eye. One arm remains resting on your bicep, and the other slides down to your hand. His claws graze your skin lightly, but they linger for a moment. Perhaps they're indulging in something you don't quite have the capacity to understand the significance of. That is to say, Caliborn's obsession with emotional porn.

You are right in your assumption when he tries to thread his hand through yours. His fingers meet the spaces between yours, tentatively, because he has three and you have five. Your hands are sweaty, his skin is cool and scaly (not quite like a snake's, but close enough that you have no better comparison). You look up at him. He's sort of scowling at you, but by his standards it's not really scowling at all.

"I said. This is my punishment for you. You do not look remorseful."

"My apologies, Caliborn-sama. Would you rather I express my remorse this way?" You pull yourself up, hovering closer to him, your free arm making its way to sit lightly around his waist, the other still clutched in his hand.

"This is. Acceptable. For now."

"Is it, now?" You can feel when Caliborn gets complacent, and you want to push it a little, because drifting around has never felt satisfactory for you. You raise your head and press your lips against the side of Caliborn's head, close to his eye. He doesn't stop you, but when you let go to look at him, he pulls back.

"I did not give you permission to do that!" He lets go of your hand, both of them now squirming from where you see them buried in the covers. Your heart jumps into your throat for a moment, where you wonder if you went too far for him, and decide to move to the head of the bed just in case.

"I'm sorry. I'll ask next time."

Caliborn immediately stops moving. He stares you down. There is a gleam in his eyes that you're not sure how to interpret. "No. Ask me now."

You try not to get ahead of yourself as you sidle up closer to him. When he doesn't stop you, you whisper between the two of you. "Caliborn-kun, can I kiss you?"

"Yes," he says, smugly, and before you realize, he's pressing his lips to the side of _your_ head. When he pulls back, he's smirking, the little bastard.

"You do realize that's not how consent works, right? _You're_ supposed to ask if you're the one doing the action," you say, but you're not mad. Just being hit by the usual mesh of feelings that Caliborn inevitably draws out of you. Nothing new to see here.

Caliborn scoffs. "That is irrelevant. What matters is that you haven't served your full punishment. You promised something. And you would be a filthy liar if you did not uphold it." He waits, expectantly. It looks like you have to take things into your hands once again.

"You're still up for that cuddle session?"

"Yes." He doesn't move.

The mood has been tugged to scraps between the two of you, but at the promise of some good fucking cuddling, you relent. "Are you going to come here, or did you have a change of heart?"

"I am applying the theory of "consent". Like you mentioned. Did you forget already?" Fuck's sake, you are both so bad at this. You open your arms, barely enough to signify a chance if Caliborn is willing to take it. He mirrors your action and comes up to you, slotting his arms around you. You lean back on the pillows.

"Is this cuddle session to your liking?" You say after a moment of silence.

"It is...fine." You poke him where you can see the vague outline of his ribs, and he makes a strangled noise before nudging you with his knee again. You let out a small "oof" before you flip him so he's the one lying under you. At his angry look, you pap him on the cheek.

"Settle down now, or I'm kicking you out of here." He grumbles, but he wiggles around until he's comfortable, pulling you further on top of him. He finally stops moving, shutting his eyes and squeezing you a bit too tightly.

You make an internal note to ask Calliope if cherubs respond well to papping.


End file.
